Comelec reaches out to youth voters through #KEBS

One can never be too young to start on voters’ education, as the Commission on Elections urged senior high school students to get themselves educated on their right to suffrage.

The poll body encouraged high school students as young as 15 years old to take advantage of the voters’ education lectures which are regularly conducted throughout the year.

“Voters as young as 15 years old should learn the value of democracy. This lecture is an opportunity for them to learn exercising their right to vote,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said.

READ: Comelec offers free voter education seminars for students

He added that the poll body has conducted five voters’ education lectures this year to prepare youth voters for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections on October 23, 2017.

The lecture series is dubbed “#KEBS: Know Elections Better, Superfriends!” and aims to demystify the electoral process and educate youths to vote intelligently.

Jimenez said the lecture series is primarily directed at senior high school students who are eligible to register for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

The poll body’s voter education platform combines face-to-face encounters through lecture sessions with the wide reach of social media.

Since the resumption of the voters’ registration period for the October 2017 barangay and youth polls, only 193,229 youth voters signed up in November and December 2016 for the youth polls.

The voters’ registration will run until April 29 from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays except for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Earlier, the Comelec encouraged school administrators, teachers and students to request for free voter education sessions to prepare them for the elections.

The sessions may be held either at the Comelec EID office in Intramuros, Manila or the requesting party’s own school or venue of choice.

Though there is no prescribed minimum or maximum number of students who will undergo the seminar, the ideal number is at least 15 to 20 people per session.

Interested school officials and teachers only need to get in touch with the Comelec, through its official Facebook (@comelec.ph) and Twitter (@comelec) accounts.

Requests for voter education sessions may be also coursed through email, [email protected], or by calling the Education and Information Department at 5259294.